136 research outputs found
The interaction between stray electrostatic fields and a charged free-falling test mass
We present an experimental analysis of force noise caused by stray
electrostatic fields acting on a charged test mass inside a conducting
enclosure, a key problem for precise gravitational experiments. Measurement of
the average field that couples to test mass charge, and its fluctuations, is
performed with two independent torsion pendulum techniques, including direct
measurement of the forces caused by a change in electrostatic charge. We
analyze the problem with an improved electrostatic model that, coupled with the
experimental data, also indicates how to correctly measure and null the stray
field that interacts with test mass charge. Our measurements allow a
conservative upper limit on acceleration noise, of 2 fm/s\rthz\ for
frequencies above 0.1 mHz, for the interaction between stray fields and charge
in the LISA gravitational wave mission.Comment: Minor edits in PRL publication proces
Hyperpolarizability and operational magic wavelength in an optical lattice clock
Optical clocks benefit from tight atomic confinement enabling extended
interrogation times as well as Doppler- and recoil-free operation. However,
these benefits come at the cost of frequency shifts that, if not properly
controlled, may degrade clock accuracy. Numerous theoretical studies have
predicted optical lattice clock frequency shifts that scale nonlinearly with
trap depth. To experimentally observe and constrain these shifts in an
Yb optical lattice clock, we construct a lattice enhancement cavity
that exaggerates the light shifts. We observe an atomic temperature that is
proportional to the optical trap depth, fundamentally altering the scaling of
trap-induced light shifts and simplifying their parametrization. We identify an
"operational" magic wavelength where frequency shifts are insensitive to
changes in trap depth. These measurements and scaling analysis constitute an
essential systematic characterization for clock operation at the
level and beyond.Comment: 5 + 2 pages, 3 figures, added supplementa
Hamiltonian flows on null curves
The local motion of a null curve in Minkowski 3-space induces an evolution
equation for its Lorentz invariant curvature. Special motions are constructed
whose induced evolution equations are the members of the KdV hierarchy. The
null curves which move under the KdV flow without changing shape are proven to
be the trajectories of a certain particle model on null curves described by a
Lagrangian linear in the curvature. In addition, it is shown that the curvature
of a null curve which evolves by similarities can be computed in terms of the
solutions of the second Painlev\'e equation.Comment: 14 pages, v2: final version; minor changes in the expositio
Gas damping force noise on a macroscopic test body in an infinite gas reservoir
We present a simple analysis of the force noise associated with the
mechanical damping of the motion of a test body surrounded by a large volume of
rarefied gas. The calculation is performed considering the momentum imparted by
inelastic collisions against the sides of a cubic test mass, and for other
geometries for which the force noise could be an experimental limitation. In
addition to arriving at an accurated estimate, by two alternative methods, we
discuss the limits of the applicability of this analysis to realistic
experimental configurations in which a test body is surrounded by residual gas
inside an enclosure that is only slightly larger than the test body itself.Comment: 8 pages. updated with correct translational damping coefficient for
cylinder on axis. added cylinder orthogonal to symmetry axis, force and
torque. slightly edited throughou
Faraday-shielded, DC Stark-free optical lattice clock
We demonstrate the absence of a DC Stark shift in an ytterbium optical
lattice clock. Stray electric fields are suppressed through the introduction of
an in-vacuum Faraday shield. Still, the effectiveness of the shielding must be
experimentally assessed. Such diagnostics are accomplished by applying high
voltage to six electrodes, which are grounded in normal operation to form part
of the Faraday shield. Our measurements place a constraint on the DC Stark
shift at the level, in units of the clock frequency. Moreover, we
discuss a potential source of error in strategies to precisely measure or
cancel non-zero DC Stark shifts, attributed to field gradients coupled with the
finite spatial extent of the lattice-trapped atoms. With this consideration, we
find that Faraday shielding, complemented with experimental validation,
provides both a practically appealing and effective solution to the problem of
DC Stark shifts in optical lattice clocks.Comment: 5 pages + supplemental material; accepted to PR
State space modelling and data analysis exercises in LISA Pathfinder
LISA Pathfinder is a mission planned by the European Space Agency to test the
key technologies that will allow the detection of gravitational waves in space.
The instrument on-board, the LISA Technology package, will undergo an
exhaustive campaign of calibrations and noise characterisation campaigns in
order to fully describe the noise model. Data analysis plays an important role
in the mission and for that reason the data analysis team has been developing a
toolbox which contains all the functionalities required during operations. In
this contribution we give an overview of recent activities, focusing on the
improvements in the modelling of the instrument and in the data analysis
campaigns performed both with real and simulated data.Comment: Plenary talk presented at the 9th International LISA Symposium, 21-25
May 2012, Pari
- …